Georgia State Game Bird
| Bobwhite Quail |
Colinus virginianus |
Adopted:1970 |
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| Georgia State Game Bird: Bobwhite Quail |
Adoption of the Georgia State Game Bird
In 1970, the bobwhite quail was chosen as the official state game bird by a Joint Resolution of the
Georgia General Assembly on March 20, 1970.
Joint Resolution of the Georgia General Assembly
March 20, 1970
BROWN THRASHER OFFICIAL STATE BIRD -- BOBWHITE QUAIL OFFICIAL STATE GAME BIRD.
No. 128 (House Resolution No. 694-1436).
A Resolution.
Designating the Brown Thrasher as the official Georgia State Bird and the bobwhite Quail as the official Georgia State Game Bird; and for other purposes.
Whereas, the Attorney General of Georgia has ruled in an official opinion that Georgia does not have an official State Bird; and
Whereas, hitherto, the General Assembly of Georgia has made no such selection; and
Whereas, since countless Georgians have always considered the Brown Thrasher as the official Georgia State Bird it is only fitting and proper that the Brown thrasher be given the recognition it is due; and
Whereas, the familiar "bob-bob-white" whistle of the Bobwhite Quail has charmed Georgians, and accompanied them in their work and play since the state was merely a territory occupied by British colonists in 1733; and
Whereas , thousands of Georgia sportsmen annually trek to the fields to bag their limit of the Bobwhite Quail; this marvelous bird can withstand a loss of two-thirds of its population with no reduction in the spring breeding population, thus providing the Georgia huntsmen with continued exciting sport; and
Whereas, Georgia has long been hailed as the "Quail Capitol [sic] of the World", and it seems to be only fitting and proper that the Bobwhite Quail (of the genus colinis) be given the recognition it is due.
Now, therefore, be it resolved by the General Assembly of Georgia at the suggestion and request of the Garden Clubs of Georgia that the Brown Thrasher is hereby designated as the official Georgia State Bird.
Be it further resolved that the Bobwhite Quail is hereby designated as the official Georgia State Game Bird.
Be it further resolved that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is hereby authorized and directed to forward an appropriate copy of this Resolution to the Secretary of State.
Approved March 20, 1970.
Source: Ga. Laws 1970, pp. 418-19.
Two other states have adopted the bobwhite quail as an official game bird:
The Georgia Code
The following information is excerpted from the Georgia Code, Title 50,
Chapter 3, Section 50-3-51.
TITLE 50 - STATE GOVERNMENT.
CHAPTER 3.
SECTION 50-3-51.
50-3-51.
The bobwhite quail is designated as the official Georgia state game bird.
Additional Information
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| Georgia Wildlife License Plate |
Colinus virginianus (Bobwhite Quail):
University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web.
Bobwhite Quail Fact Sheet:
from the Wildlife Resources Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
About the Bobwhite Quail Initiative:
from the Wildlife Resources Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. [PDF]
State Bird List:
List of all of the state birds.
A Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern and Central North America:
Peterson Field Guide: Roger Tory Peterson.
State Birds & Flowers 1000-pc Puzzle:
Created at the request of The National Wildlife Federation this design is a beautiful and informative puzzle featuring every state bird perched on the appropriate state flower.
Bird Feeders and Accessories:
Backyard Birding > Bird Feeders & Accessories from Amazon.com.
State Names, Seals, Flags, and Symbols:
A Historical Guide, Third Edition - Benjamin F. Shearer and Barbara S. Shearer, Greenwood Press, 2002
Source: Carl Vinson Institute of Government, The University of Georgia, May 20, 2005
Source: Georgia Code, May 20, 2005
Source: State Names, Seals, Flags, and Symbols: A Historical Guide, Third Edition - Benjamin F. Shearer and Barbara S. Shearer, Greenwood Press, 2002 | 
